Getting Feral Kitten Into Carrier

ceruleiasaurus

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Binx had a vet appointment today, and I needed to get him into his carrier in order to take him.  He's progressing okay with his comfort around humans, but he's still very skittish, and doesn't let me touch him or move towards him very quickly.  I've been leaving his carrier out with him since I brought him home, and yesterday I fed him in the carrier several times.  This morning when it was time to bring him to the vet I put a little bit of baby food on a saucer way at the back of his carrier and sat next to it, waiting for him to go in.  He did, and began to eat, but his tail was still sticking out at the back.  I didn't shut the door quickly, because I didn't want to hurt his tail, and he managed to scramble out of the carrier before I could close it.  

I was talking on the phone with my mom at this point, and she said I should just throw a towel over him and wrap him in it to get him in the carrier.  I was going to try this, and spent the next half hour chasing Binx around my bedroom, trying to wrap him in a towel.  Needless to say, I couldn't ever get my hands on him.

Now I feel like a terrible cat mom.  He ran off somewhere in the room, and he's hiding (not 24 hours after he spent half of yesterday hiding from me) and I'm sure we're back to square one with him terrified of me...  I feel really horrible for scaring him like that, and I don't know what to do about getting him into his carrier for the (rescheduled) vet appointment on Wednesday.  

Anyone have ideas for getting him to the vet?  I'm halfway to buying a trap on amazon like the one my friend used to trap him initially and bring him inside, but that just seems a little extreme for taking him to the vet.  Do I need a bigger carrier?  Are there carriers with different kinds of doors that make them easier to "trap" cats in?  

Is Binx ever going to be comfortable enough around me to go to the vet without me feeling horrible about it?  I feel like I'm not doing any of the right things with socializing him, because he's still so afraid of me, but that also seems like it would be normal...  I don't know... Any advice or support would be welcome.
 

shadowsrescue

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When I brought my feral boy inside, I too needed to get him to the vet.  I spent 3 weeks acclimating him to a large carrier.  I would feed him all his meals in it.  I started by feeding just inside and each day moving it back until he was eating all the way in the back.  I also would sit beside him with each morning meal so he was used to me being there.  

On the morning of the appointment, I had a sturdy chair pad that I used to block the exit and keep him inside.  I then was able to zip it up, cover with a sheet and out the door we went.  My carrier was very large and mesh.  Some people don't like the mesh carrier as they think a cat can claw it's way out.  My boy was very calm especially when I put the sheet over it.  To this day ( he has now been inside for over 3 years) I still have to use this carrier for him.  I tried this past year to get him into a regular smaller carrier and ended up with scratches all over me.  

Here is the link to what I used:


If this doesn't work, you might need to retrap him.  Throwing a towel over him might be ok too.  I have done this as well.  It's then easiest to place the carrier so the opening is pointing towards the ceiling so you can gently place him inside.  

Vet visits are just not fun.  I hope you can find a way to get him to the vet soon.  My vet was awesome and I told her I had no idea if I would be able to get him into the carrier or not.  They were very flexible.  It might help to discuss this with your vet.
 
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ceruleiasaurus

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The issue with throwing a towel over him is that he is VERY fast, and he has a lot of places to hide once he realizes I'm trying to catch him.  (He's very quick.  He's probably an excellent mouser).  I haven't gotten scratched by him at all in the effort to get him into a carrier, but I'm sure if I got my hands on him I'd get shredded.  His claws look very sharp...

I don't have much hope of catching him any other way than trapping him with food.  I'll get a bigger carrier this time so that when he goes in to eat the food at one side there is no way his tail can stick out the other end.  That way I can close it quickly.  Hopefully that will work... otherwise... I don't know

He's already been neutered and had a rabies shot, he just needed his other shots, to get dewormed and micro-chipped, and tested for FIV and all that.  So hopefully taking a little longer to get to the vet won't be a problem.  

At this point I'm more worried about taking a bunch of steps back in his progress with socializing him.  Yesterday he slow blinked at me, closed his eyes, and purred while he was sitting with me on my bed and I was reading to him.  That was a ton of progress from hiding in the corner whenever I entered the room.  He's also started to climb around my bed at night, and bat at me with his paws, which, while irritating, is definitely progress in terms of his comfort level.  I'm worried that after this he's going to be back to square one...

It feels like this whole thing is really emotionally taxing.  Am I weird for reacting so strongly to when he is afraid of me?  I mean I know it's normal for him to be scared, but I still feel like I'm doing something wrong any time he runs away.  The other day I sneezed and he hid from me for over an hour and I felt terrible about it.  I felt terrible.  For sneezing.  Which is ridiculous... *sigh*
 

Primula

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There's nothing worse than getting a cat into a carrier. I scared my Looby Loo so much this year when I wanted to take her for her annual physical. I was determined we were going & literally chased her around with a broom.

I strongly suggest you buy Feliway spray. Follow its directions & you'll find it calms the animal down, especially when sprayed directly into carrier 15 minutes ahead of time.
 

shadowsrescue

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He may be afraid of certain things for a long long long time.  My guy is still very afraid of lots of sounds.  He will just always be this way.  Yet in time, they amount of time they hide lessens.  Just do your best to tell him he is safe.  Coddling does no good as you don't want him to think he has a reason to hide.  I just allow my guy to hide and know that in time he will come out.  Yet I used to fret and fret about it.  I would do anything to try and lure him out and this in turn just made him hide longer.  When I left him alone, he would come out much sooner.  I just made sure I kept our routine the same.

Since you are not in a rush to get him to the vet, just give him a week or so to calm down.  Then either try the carrier method or the trap.  Either will work just fine.  

He is making such great progress coming out at night and coming near you on the bed.  This is huge!!  I have read that ferals feel much more secure with a human when they are in the supine position.  We are much less threatening.  My feral boy rarely lets my DH pet him, unless we are in bed.  My little scaredy boys snuggles with us all night long.  Yet when morning comes, off he goes.  He will still come around me for pets and love during the day, but not DH. 

Just give him lots and lots of time.  It may take a long time for him to come around.  Yet you will later look back on this time and remember how far he has come.
 
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